Jalandhar, March 16
In order to get its demands fulfilled, the Punjab Roadways Joint Action Committee today decided to support the call of protest march on March 21, given by the Punjab and UT Employees Sangharsh Committee.

Besides the protest rally, a two-hour traffic jam will be observed at all district headquarters from 1 pm to 3 pm on March 21 against the Punjab Government.

A meeting in this regard was held under the leadership of Jagdish Singh Chahal. Amrik Singh Gill, convener of the committee, said a meeting between Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal and Punjab and Union Territory Employees Sangharsh Committee was held on February 18 at Punjab Bhawan, Chandigarh, where long-pending demands of the Punjab Roadways employees were promised to be fulfilled.

Despite assurances, our demands, including the termination of the outsourcing of the recruitment of employees, implementation of cashless medical bill scheme, getting rid of the inaccuracies in the Fifth Pay Commission and implementation of the Sixth Pay Commission, providing uniforms to the employees and cash payment of due 10 per cent daily allowance had not been met, Amrik added.

Apart from this, he said continuing their protest against the failure of fulfilment of their demands promised by Transport Minister Ajit Singh Kohar, gate rallies at 18 depots of the Punjab Roadways would be held on April 3.

A view of slaughter houses being run in Jalandhar. Photos: Sarabjit Singh

Officials who have held checks or inspections have said those willing to check and set things right have been quietened by the butchery mafia which issues threats to them if any action about to be initiated. Many even say often the butcheries get the wind of an impending inspection before the officials themselves.

Department wars

Meanwhile, as happens in such situations, the departments concerned remain busy in playing the blame game. Both the Health and Animal Husbandry Department blame the municipal corporation for letting the situation out of hand and in failing to set up a legal slaughterhouse in the district or ensuring licensed retail of meat.

Since none of the butcheries are licensed or registered, there is no exact count of the number of such establishments mushrooming in the city but the number has crossed thousands.

Unhygienic meat

While hygiene is one of the key concerns, officials say a majority of these butcheries are forcing people to consume “poison”. While the loads of guidelines on hygiene are not being followed at all, officials even say the meat is being laced with harmful substances on the pretext of preservation. Officials say owners of butcheries spray the meat with spirit and insecticides. When asked about it, they say it’s being done to preserve the meat. Dead carcasses are also being sold at lesser rates. The meat of diseased, infected, injured and unhygienic animals are also being sold at many shops and in the absence of checks, people are consuming such meat by the loads.

Duplication is also rampant. Coloured sheep meat is commonly being sold off as mutton, officials say.

Over 1,000 butcheries

As per the Animal Husbandry Department, there are over 300 meat shops or butcheries dealing in mutton in the urban areas of Jalandhar alone, about 40 to 50 butcheries selling pork are present in the city and over 1,000 chicken shops/butcheries across the district.

While they are not legal, these abattoirs pose a grave health risk to the residents living around them since the animal wastes, blood and refuse is mostly disposed of on the streets or in dumps around these butcheries. The carcasses attract scavengers and wild animals. They emanate foul smell making the lives of people living around them a hell. The concentration of these units in the district is mainly near bus stand, Garha Road, Gurunankpura, Maqsudan, Transport Nagar, Focal Point, Buta Pind, Wadala Chowk, Bhur Mandi among other areas.

Among these, the concentration of pork shops is primarily around the transport Nagar and Focal point areas while allegations abound that beef butcheries are also operating from the city. While sources say everyone knows the areas these operate from, people are scared to name the areas for the fear of threat or attack.

The beef story

While all government departments stay tight-lipped about the alleged butcheries which deal in beef in the city, ‘gau sewa’ activists have been crying hoarse about the issue for ages. Mandeep Bakshi, Punjab president, Gau Sewa Prakosht of the BJP says, “The police and the MC know the butchering of cattle in the state/district is rampant but no one does a thing. We have informed them about truck loads of cattle being ferried to the butchers in the district. Just last week, we informed the police about one such case at PAP Chowk. But there is no action. Buta Mandi, Domoriah Bridge and Maqsudan are places where such activities go on. On the ne hand, they term the issue as sensitive and on the other, they don’t do a thing.”

Similar incidents have been reported from Hoshiarpur, Pathankot, Kartarpur. But despite repeated complaints, there has been no action.

The ‘Gau Sewa’ Prakosht also gave memos to the DC across the district on the issue recently.

Dos and don’ts

While ideally, a healthy farm grown animal, properly fed and given ample water to drink before its culling is supposed to be consumed as meat, the city butcheries miss all the essential first steps and concentrate on the last. Weak, unhygienic animals are culled in front of another (killing an animal in front of another is in itself prohibited by law) of its creed. A legal butchery requires a doctor to conduct a through check-up of an animal before killing. Steps like post-mortem, checking of organs, health of the animal and ensuring that it was fed (food and water) properly before its killing are all given a convenient miss.

The only way to ascertain that this is not done is proper veterinary checks of animals before killing. Doctors, however, are scared to visit these butcheries.

Moreover, while it is illegal to even hang meat out in the open, the practice is rampant. As per law, the butcheries or meat shop display windows should be covered with black film, the place should be air-
conditioned and clean. The butcheries in the district give a miss to all. The meat is often found with flies sitting on it and often wrapped in dirty cloth.

No checks

Sources say inspections have taken place in the past but neither have any of the offenders been nabbed nor penalised. Instead, the inspecting officer or doctor has often been issued threats and finally the MC, which asked for inspections, relented and let the offender go-scot free. There have even been times when confiscated carcasses have had to be returned by the Animal Husbandry Department after threats and pressure.

Dr JS Ghumman, Deputy Director, Animal Husbandry, said, “I am aware that all these meat shops are being run without proper licences. Whenever our doctors have inspected these places in the past we have received threats. How can doctors raid these places when they are under fear of attack? The lack of action by the MC on the issue has allowed further meat shops to mushroom. I was told by the MC to send two doctors to inspect these places. But clearly, proper teams needed to be constituted which include the MC, police officials and veterinary doctors to check the places together. Until then, not much can be done about it.”

Dr Ghumman confirmed the unhygeinic conditions, threat to nearby residents and the extent to contamination and duplication of meat at some of the shops which could be potentially dangerous for those who consumed them. The Health Department also holds a similar view.

Civil Suregeon Dr RL Bassan said the action needed to be done by the MC the Health Department could only add upon that action.

“We have asked these people to get licences. We have asked the MC to construct a legal slaughter house. We have asked for stricter implementation of the guidelines. When the basic are ignored, checks do not held much,” he said.

Both Dr Ghumman and Dr Bassan say the MC has also failed to build a slaughter house at the land demarcated for the purpose.

MC view

The MC Commissioner largely admitted to the inaction by his department on the issue. But said stringent measures will soon be taken.

MC Commissioner Manpreet Chatwal said the Union Ministry of Food Processing had recently sent a proposal that for retailers interested in improving their shops, a grant of Rs 5 lakh would be given by the Central government for the retailers to set up model butcheries which would abide by all rules. We also held a meeting with the association on the issue about 15 days ago.

On demarcated land for the slaughter house: After the passing of the land acquisition act in January this year, we will have to incur three times the cost of compensation to owners, if we set up the slaughterhouse on the old land which we had at the Sports and Surgical Complex. The MC can’t afford that. So, we will now be setting it up on a new six acres plot of land (previously allotted for the hand tool cluster) situated in the industrial area on the Kapurthala Road.

Other plans

The Government of India plans a project on the PPP mode for the district regarding which a meet was also held of representatives from the state and Centre at Chandigarh recently. The project will come up in the next financial year. For this financial year, it is reserved for Bathinda and Mohali. A consultant has also been hired for the city under the plan to do the groundwork and estimate city requirements of the city before the project comes up.

Fatudhinga (Kapurthala), March 16
Two youths died due to the reported excessive intake of drugs.

Their bodies were found at a village near Fatudhinga this morning.

The deceased were identified as Yadwinder Singh and Jasjit Singh, both residents of Fatudhinga.

SHO Balbir Singh said the police were informed by some persons that two youths were lying unconscious in the fields. On reaching the spot when the police inquired the matter, it seemed to be a case of drug overdose.

The SHO said that the police recovered some intoxicant injections and other drugs from the spot. The kin of the deceased told the police that the duo was high on drugs.

During investigation, the police found that Jasjit was also a drug peddler and two cases under the NDPS Act had been registered against him.

Considering no foul play in the deaths, the police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the CrPC.

Jalandhar, March 16
The Jalandhar police have registered a cross FIR in the yesterday’s incident in which ex-councillors of the SAD and BJP had fought over the issue of parking.

Earlier on the complaint of former councillor Kamal Sharma, a case was registered against former councillor Manjit Singh Titu, Vardan, Charanpreet, Sandeep and Karnail Singh under Sections 308, 452, 120-B, 323, 506, 148 and149 of the IPC at the Bhargav Camp police station.

Now on the complaint of one of the supporters of Titu, the police have registered a case against former BJP councillor Kamal Sharma and two others for allegedly hurling castiest remarks against a supporter of the other ex-councillor.

The Bhargav Camp police officials said a case was registered under Sections 341, 506 and 3,4 of the SC/ST Act, adding that the accused had not been arrested yet as inquiries into the allegations levelled by both former councillors against each other were on.

After the completion of the inquiry, the police would go ahead to arrest the accused.

Jalandhar, March 16
The Focal Point police post today nabbed two snatchers and recovered stolen mobile phones and a motorbike from them.

The accused were identified as Sarabjot Singh, alias Palli, a resident of Nurpur village, and Charanjit Singh, a resident of Saraba Nagar.

Acting on a tip-off, the police nabbed the accused near Focal Point and during search, they recovered seven mobile phones, a Splendor bike and an iron rod from them.

During preliminary questioning, they accused confessed that they had been looting migrant labourers for the past several months. Recently, they had looted mobile phones from a migrant labourer near Transport Nagar.

The accused were alleged drug addicts and were committing crimes to fulfil their need for drugs.

Jalandhar, March 16
Arnav Anand, a class IV student of APJ School, Model Town, Jalandhar, has bagged the top rank in the National Science Talent Search Examination (NSTSE), 2014, in Punjab.

Arnav Anand

Arnav, who bagged the 157th national rank in the NSTSE this year, had topped the state in the talent search examination last year also.

Son of Sanjeev Anand, assistant professor in computer science at Lyallpur Khalsa College, Jalandhar, and Monika Anand, assistant professor in home science, at the Apeejay College of Fine Arts, Jalandhar, Arnav’s parents said his interest in science had made him win accolades in other exams as well.

The 10-year-old had bagged a gold medal in the National Science Olympiad (NSO) in the 1st level. He had also bagged a silver medal in the International Mathematics Olympiad (IMO) in the 1st level and 11th rank in the state in the National Science Olympiad (NSO) in the 2nd level.

Meanwhile, three students of Police DAV Public School, Jalandhar, also bagged merit positions in the NSTSE (National Level Science Talent Search Examination), organised by the Unified Council of Hyderabad. Jivtesh of class-VIII bagged 8th rank in the state, Jaskiran of class XI secured the 26th rank in state and Aum of class V bagged the 32nd rank in the state.

Jalandhar, March 16
To encourage the youth for water conservation, Samvedna Jagriti, an NGO, has planned a series of activities in the upcoming days. A day after World Water Day on March 22, the NGO is planning to stage a street play near Shivani Park in Model Town to encourage the youth for water conservation. Handouts on water conservation will also be distributed among the residents. They will also be given saplings of shady trees.

Members of the NGO have started visiting schools, holding programmes for children besides forming clubs to apprise people of various ways of water conservation . Harleen Kaur, a member of the NGO, said she had visited Guru Amar Dass School and Apeejay School and suggested that wasted water should be used to water the plants.

They are also making rounds of car washing centres in the city and urging them to opt for the recycling of water. Malkiat Singh Multani, another member of the NGO, said he was planning to visit the municipal corporation office and urge the officials to impose a hefty fine on the people using water indiscriminately.

Raj Sharma, a retired science teacher, said once the elections are over, the NGO would urge the government to adopt the water metering system in the city. “As there are no meters in the city, residents are keeping their taps open for the whole day. Meters and higher bills will force them to conserve water," she said.

Phagwara, March 16
Degrees were conferred on 375 students in the 41st annual convocation of Kamla Nehru College for Women, Phagwara, held on the college campus yesterday.

Deputy Director General, Doordarshan Kendra,Jalandhar, Om Gauri Dutt Sharma was the chief guest.

During the function, the members of IQAC were honoured by the chief guest for their dedicated team work towards second cycle of accreditation by NAAC, which bore fruits bringing 'A' grade with a score of 3.55/4. The chief guest congratulated the principal and faculty for this achievement.